Methacrylic acid appears as a clear colorless liquid (or low-melting solid) with a pungent odor. Corrosive to metals and tissue. Flash point 170°F. Melting point 61°F. May polymerize exothermically if heated or contaminated. If the polymerization takes place inside a container, the container may rupture violently. Less dense than water. Vapors heavier than air. Used to make plastics. Methacrylic acid is an alpha,beta-unsaturated monocarboxylic acid that is acrylic acid in which the hydrogen at position 2 is substituted by a methyl group. It derives from an acrylic acid. It is a conjugate acid of a methacrylate.